Very Recent Works of Sikander

RIDGEFIELD — The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum is presenting “Shahzia Sikander: Nemesis,” an exhibition of recent animations, drawings, and a site-specific installation by the Pakistani-born artist, through January 5.

“Nemesis” is a traveling exhibition in two parts, organized by Aldrich associate curator Jessica Hough in collaboration with curator Ian Berry of The Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College. The Aldrich exhibition presents new works completed during the summer of 2004.

Born in the multicultural city of Lahore, Pakistan, Ms Sikander grew up equally conversant with international pop culture and her country’s heritage of miniature painting, which originated as a court tradition for illustrating royal manuscripts and reached its height during the Mughal Empire (1526-1857), when Muslim rulers reigned over predominantly Hindu India.

By Ms Sikander’s day, cliché miniature images were “abundant as gift items everywhere, saturating the tourist market,” she recalls. “My initial feeling … was that it was kitsch, but I saw the potential of subversion.”

Today Ms Sikander freely mingles Hindu and Muslim painting techniques with contemporary Western elements, from American painting and pop culture to images of war, supermodels and fairy tales. Her innovative blend of ancient and contemporary themes will be evident in the new works on view at The Aldrich.

A 96-page, full-color hardcover book includes an interview with the artist, an essay focusing on Ms Sikander’s digital works by Aldrich curator Jessica Hough, and a short fiction work by Mohsin Hamid (author of the novel Moth Smoke, Picador USA 2000).

The Aldrich Museum, at 258 Main Street in Ridgefield, is open Tuesday through Sunday from noon to 5 pm. For information, call 203-438-4519.